Student Counseling Services

Career Decision Handout

Reasons People Have Trouble Making Decisions

  • Fearing failure.
  • Fearing success. Believing that others will expect always expect perfection if succeed once.
  • Lacking the ability to set priorities, so I don’t know what to do first.
  • Not knowing where to get the information I need to help me decide.
  • Hoping someone else will decide.
  • Having little experience in making decisions and feeling overwhelmed.
  • Not being willing to sacrifice immediate comfort for the long-term gain.
  • Fearing others will disapprove of my decision.
  • Thinking, "I can’t do something if no one else that I know is doing it."
  • Believing my decisions won’t matter.

Steps to Take in Making A Decision

Step 1: Exploration: Identify the problem
  • Define the decision.
  • Clarify the time-line.
  • Identify the conflicts faced.
Step 2: Generating Alternatives
  • Locate the resources needed to explore options
  • Consider options and new alternatives
  • Consider personal values – What is important to you?
Step 3: Predicting Outcomes
  • Consider both good and bad outcomes associated with alternatives
  • Consider the probability that a given outcome will happen
  • Remind yourself that you can only choose an alternative, not an outcome.
Step 4: Selecting an Alternative
  • After examining the outcomes and risks, choose an alternative
  • Identify the "next steps" to put your decision into action
Step 5: Re-evaluation (examine the outcome from your decision and decide if you are satisfied)
  • If so, plan steps to further implement your decision.
  • If not, examine your options again, and consider changing.